This invention relates to tables having tabletops of variable size.
Various applications of tables make it desirable that the tabletop be variable in size. For example, a dining room table may occasionally be required to provide a seating capacity that exceeds the seating capacity which is usually required, yet space constraints make it impractical to use a table which permanently has the greater seating capacity; hence, a table having a variable seating capacity is called for.
Presently, the needs of such applications are met primarily with tables having tabletops of variable size that require manual manipulation of the tables' parts to achieve the size adjustment. Such a table generally has two sliding side leaves that fit alongside each other to form a tabletop of a smaller size, and that slide apart to admit between them one or more removable center leaves to form a tabeltop of a larger size.
The process of moving the various tabletop components apart, inserting or removing one or more center leaves, carrying the removable center leaves from and to storage, properly aligning the various leaves with each other, and fitting the components together again, is a physically demanding task that requires some degree of physical dexterity and exertion and that often causes aggravation. Furthermore, manual handling of the various portions of the table during this process often causes damage to the table.
Therefore, a better solution to the problem of tabletop size adjustment is called for.